Love, Interrupted
by MountEverest
Summary: After Anglea and Hodgin's breakup, she seeeks solace in her friends. She is confronted when she starts spending a lot of time with Booth.
1. Chapter 1

"I really need to get out, Brennan. Please come with me…I need you sweetie. And Booth too! Bring him. We can all just have a good time and forget everything."

Unable to put up a fight against a distraught Miss Montenegro, Brennan conceded. "Fine Angela. I will go out with you tonight. And I'll call Booth for you, but I won't promise anything."

"Thanks Brennan."

As Angela walked out of Brennan's office, Bones flipped open her cell phone and used speed dial to call her partner.

"Booth."

"It's me. I gave into Ange and we are going out tonight. You know she's been having a hard time since she and Hodgins broke up. Anyways, she wants to invite you to come with us."

"She invited me?"

"Yes. I told her I'd call you for her. I told her you probably wouldn't come…"

"Sure, I'll go."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not? I haven't been out in a long time. Could be fun."

"I will see you tonight then." Brennan hung up the phone, wondering how the night would play out.

--

"Booth! You made it!" Angela ran right to Booth, engulfing him in a hug, causing him to lose his balance slightly. He looked at Brennan with a confused expression. Bones shrugged with amusement at Angela's enthusiastic display of affection.

He released himself from her grasp. "Of course I made it Ange. How could I refuse hitting the town with two beautiful women?" He gave her a wink before turning his attention to the other woman in attendance. "Hey Bones." Allowing himself to look at his partner, he was surprised to see how good she looked. "You look nice."

Angela leaned up close to Booth's side and gently nudged her elbow into his side. "Hey! What about me?"

"Hey! You look nice too," he said, rubbing his assaulted ribs.

The three of them sat together, conversing lightly while nursing a few drinks. Brennan and Booth had started talking quietly with each other, unintentionally excluding Angela. Starting to feel the pain she was trying to keep away, Angela grabbed Booth's arm and dragged him up. "Dance with me Booth!"

"What?…Ange!," is all he managed to say before being dragged to the dance floor. He looked over at a laughing Brennan, pleading with his eyes, begging to be saved. No such luck, as Angela grabbed him again, taking the lead, forcing him to dance to the fast-paced music with her.

"Come on Booth! I'm not gonna bite!" she laughed. He started to relax, telling himself that he came out to have fun.

As the pace of the music slowed, Angela approached her dance partner, positioning themselves for the slower style of dance. He smiled uneasily at Angela, trying to hide his discomfort.

Brennan sat in her party's booth for most of the night, alone. She watched as Angela and Booth danced song after song together. Occasionally they would fight the crowds to get back to the table for another drink, but before she knew it they were gone again. A couple of guys tried to sit with her and keep her company, but she quickly dismissed them as she tried to relocate the familiar pair on the dance floor. It was very strange watching Angela and Booth together. She hadn't expected tonight to go the way it was. She was contemplating going home when she could hear their voices, laughing and teasing each other about who was tiring who out.

"I'll be right back guys!" Angela shouted as she headed towards the ladies room.

"Hey Bones!" He greeted her as he slid in next to her on the seat.

"Hey Booth. You seem to be having fun."

"Yeah I am. I told you it's been awhile." He flashed her a charm smile. "You don't seem to be doing much dancing."

"I've danced a little Booth. Anyways, I enjoy watching."

"Turned the nightclub into an anthropological study, Bones? Seriously, you need to dance with me."

Brennan was happy that he had finally asked her to dance, but before she could reply, Angela had returned, grabbing Booth's arm and leading him to the dance floor. Booth shot her a look of apology before he was lost in the crowd.

She stayed out of loyalty to Angela and wanted to make sure her friend made it home safely. She was going through a tough break-up and she would do whatever it took to make her friend feel better. And apparently that meant sitting in a hot, crowded bar, alone, wondering about her best friend's apparent sudden interest in her partner. Bones waited for 45 minutes before they returned.

"You guys ready to go?" she asked.

"No way! I'm having too much fun!"

"Oh. Well, I think I am going to go home now."

"Awww….ok. Thanks for coming out with me sweetie." Angels engulfed Brennan in a hug goodnight.

"No problem Ange."

"Oh…Bones, do you want a ride home?"

"Sure…" Brennan started to reply before she was interrupted.

"No way G-man! You can't leave me now! We have more dancing to do!"

Looking at Bones, then at Angela, and back at Bones, Booth was truly torn. He didn't want Bones to leave by herself. But it was obvious that Angela was highly intoxicated and would need help getting home.

Brennan saw his obvious internal conflict and tried to help him out. "You should stay Booth. Take care of her for me."

"Have a good night." She gave him a smile before walking out of the club.


	2. Chapter 2

Brennan knocked loudly on the door, wondering with amusement if the noise was causing his head to pound. "I'm coming, I'm coming." She heard him mutter as he approached the door to let her in.

"Hey Bones," he greeted her. "Come on in. Want some coffee?"

"Yes, please. So Booth, how was the rest of your night last night?"

"With the way you were pounding on that door, Bones, I'm pretty sure you figured out how the rest of my night was."

Bones smiled at him as he retreated to the kitchen. "Did Angela make it home alright?"

"Actually…" Booth started.

"Did I hear someone say my name?" asked Angela as she entered the room. "Oh hey, sweetie! Good morning."

Shooting a surprised and confused look at Booth, Brennan tried to regain her composure. Booth met her gaze, shrugging his shoulders. "Morning Ange." She managed to sound completely in control as her mind was reeling. "How are you feeling?"

"As good as to be expected, considering, ya know. Luckily, Booth here helped me forget my misery." She sent him a huge, grateful smile."

"Yeah…lucky. Are you coming with us Angela?"

"No. Booth said I could hang out here for awhile. I'll see you guys later." Angela headed to the bathroom, leaving the partners alone together.

"Ready, Booth?" Bones asked, trying to sound nonchalant. However, the air was thick as they headed towards the Jeffersonian.

Finally, Brennan had to break the silence. "Angela stayed with you last night?"

Booth glanced at her briefly, then focused again on the road. "She stayed at my place, yes."

"She came out of your bedroom," she said clinically, as if it were a piece of evidence she was processing.

"C'mon Bones. She was completely trashed and started crying about how she didn't have anywhere to go. What was I supposed to do? I gave her the bed and I spent the night on the couch." He looked at her again, trying to convey the truth in his words with his eyes. Her voice had been clinical, but her eyes were swimming with emotions, many he couldn't quite decipher.

Brennan stared at him across the vehicle, trying not to hide those emotions. It didn't seem to be working.

"Are you mad at me because I'm a nice guy Bones? Because if you are, it's your fault I was alone with her to begin with." He felt the need to defend himself, but didn't know why the impulse was so strong.

"My fault?"

"The whole clubbing thing was your and her thing. And you left. Left me with her. Technically, you should be mad at yourself."

"I'm not mad Booth. Why should I be?"

"You shouldn't be! Finally we agree on something."

"Hodgins might be mad though."

"He's not."

"How could you possibly know that?"

Booth chuckled. "Because I already talked to him. He is my friend, you know. He was relieved that she was staying with a friend, that she was safe. Apparently, he trusts me more than you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brennan asked, indignantly.

Booth's irritation was evident in his voice now. "Oh please! I could see the conclusions you jumped to as soon as you saw Angela this morning, Bones. You didn't even give me the benefit of the doubt. Do you really think I go around taking advantage of drunk women?"

His last statement deflated her a bit. Booth was the most honorable man she had ever known. "No, of course not. Booth, you're right. I'm sorry."

The silence resumed for the remainder of the drive. Both parties stole glances at the other, pondering how an act of friendship caused such an issue.


	3. Chapter 3

"We should go interview the sister. See if we can get any new information from her," Booth stated as he and Brennan sat in her office going over their latest case.

"Sounds good," Brennan replied.

"Do you want to grab something to eat first?"

"Yeah." Brennan paused as she watched Angela enter her office. "That sounds like a good idea."

"What sounds like a good idea?" the newcomer inquired.

"Food," Brennan and Booth reply in unison.

"Mind if I steal Booth for a second before you go Sweetie?"

"Go ahead. I'll wait for you in the car Booth." She shot Booth a quick glance before she exited the room, watching him look at her best friend.

"What can I do for you Angela?"

"I need a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"The best kind," she replied flirtatiously.

"Ange…" he warned.

Angela giggled at his discomfort. "I need you to accompany me to an event. Tomorrow night. My friend has a gallery opening, been planned for months, Hodgins and I were…" Her face fell and her eyes got dark for a quick moment, before recovering. "I need you to be my date."

"I'm not an art gallery kind of guy…"

"You'll do fine Booth. You might even have fun. So, pick me up at 7?" She cocked her head to the side, flashing him her patented Angela smile, knowing that he wasn't going to say no to her.

With a noticeable sigh, Booth nodded his head. "I'll see you at 7."

"Thanks Booth!" she exclaimed, grabbing him into a hug.

"I better go." Extracting himself from Angela's strong embrace, he gave her a smile, and headed out the door. Booth was not excited about this new turn of events, or about undoubtedly having to explain himself to Bones, but Angela certainly deserved a friend that would be there when she needed. And if that needed to be him, again, than he would be there. He sighed again, continued his walk out to his car.


	4. Chapter 4

Hodgin's rushed into Booth's office and not-so-gently closed the door.

"Can I help you?" Booth asked, annoyed.

"What the hell man! I thought I could trust you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You and Angela gallivanting around town!"

"If you want to have a conversation, feel free to have a seat. If you want to continue to yell at me in my own office, I suggest you leave now." Booth snarled.

Deflated, Hodgin's relaxed and dropped into the chair in front of Booth's desk. "Sorry…I'm just…" His eyes were watery and his face looked worn.

"Yeah. What exactly was your reason for barging in here?"

"A friend of mine, a mutual friend of mine and Angela's, called me, telling me about this guy that Angela was parading around at a gallery opening. He told me this "mystery" guy was a tall, handsome FBI agent."

"And…"

"Well, did you go out with Angela or not?"

"First of all, it wasn't technically a date. I was doing a friend a favor. You guys split up, she needed me to fill in at an event that meant a lot to her."

"All it was was a favor?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" Jack knew it was dangerous to push Booth, but he had to know. For sure.

"Hodgins…" Booth's tone was full of irritation.

"It's just that, Brennan has been telling me that you and Angela have been spending a lot of time together. Hell, she's been staying at your place for a week!"

"You and Bones have been talking about this?" Booth was honestly surprised.

"Quite a bit actually."

"What all does she say?"

"She thinks Angela should be staying with her and has no idea what to make of Ange's choice to stay with you, or your choice to let her. Sorry dude, but it just looks like you're after my woman."

"She's not your woman anymore."

"What!?" Hodgin's raised his voice, jumping out of the chair.

"She's not your woman anymore. You broke up, remember. She should be able to be with whoever she wants and you shouldn't have a problem with it."

"But…but…she's mine. She belongs with me. Not with you damnit!"

"You're right! She doesn't belong with me. Honestly, I'm getting tired of people riding my back about this whole thing. I am helping out a friend! I am helping her because you have your head stuck up your own ass! Either she's yours or she's not. Which is it?"

"I want her to be mine. Again." Defeated, Hodgin's sat back down.

"Then I suggest you tell her that."

"She's not ready… I'm not ready."

"I'll tell you what. Even though you angrily burst into my office and accused me of sleeping with your woman, I'll talk to her tonight. Okay?"

"You would do that?"

"Yeah." As Jack started to get comfortable in the chair, Booth added. "Now go away."

Before he stepped beyond the door, Jack turned back to face Booth. "Sorry man." Booth looked at him, gave him a small smile before waving him out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Booth walked into his already inhabited house. He walked over to the figure sprawled on his couch. "What are you doing Angela?" he asked.

Surprised by his sharp tone Angela replied, "Watching television…"

"That's not what I mean. Why are you staying here? Staying with Bones seems to be the more logical choice, yet you refuse. You monopolize my time at a dance club, sleep at my house, and drag me to fancy events… If I didn't know better I would think you were going out of your way to make it look like we were in a relationship. That's sure as hell what everyone thinks! I repeat, what are you doing Angela?"

She shifted on the couch, uncomfortable with the truth of his words. After a moment of silent contemplation, she stood to leave. "You're right Booth. I'll get out of your hair."

"Angela," he said as he gently grabbed her arm. "I'm not kicking you out. I need you to answer my question."

She sighed deeply and sat back down. "I'm sorry Booth. I didn't even realize what I was doing. I honestly didn't mean to drag you into this."

"Drag me into what?"

"When I have something great, like I did with Hodgins, and it goes bad, I tend to act out. Other people cry or drink. I party. Party hard. I go out to clubs. I dance with everyone. Men, women, it doesn't matter. I kiss everyone. I take people home… I do a lot of things I end up regretting later. It's how I cope."

"Everyone copes differently."

She chuckled uncomfortably. "Yeah, they do. My antics have ruined many good relationships from ever recovering. I didn't want that to happen again with Jack. We're going through a tough patch now, true, but I think there is still a chance. I guess…you were my solution."

"Your solution?"

"I got to dance. I got to go out. I got to have fun. With no regrets. I coped in my own way, but being with you eliminated the chance that I would screw up things with Hodgin's forever."

"Why me?"

"You are my friend, a very good friend, and I trust you. I knew that you would never make a move on me, never take advantage of me. I knew you would be there, help me when I needed it. Be the chivalrous gentlemen you are. And I was right."

"You have a lot of faith in me. You're right, I would never, but I did have a beautiful woman all over me for a week. I have biological imperatives too."

"Biological imperatives?" She smiled at his word usage, obviously influenced by a certain partner of his. "Yeah, you do. But I'm not the one you want. And I knew that."

_I knew that too_, he thought. Ignoring himself, he tried to refocus on the subject at hand. "So, basically you used me because of how much you love Hodgins."

"Basically, yeah," she replied sheepishly.

"Go home Angela."

"But…"

"Trust me Angela. Go home."

"You talked to him." Not a question, a statement. Booth doesn't often bring things up without a plan.

Booth smiled. "Go."

Angela stood up and headed towards the door. Before she opened it, she turned back to face Booth. "She is more interested in your biological imperatives than even she knows. You should talk to her."

"You just focus on you and Hodgins. I'll take care of the rest. Good night Angela."


	6. Chapter 6

"What do you want Booth?" she asked after permitting him to watch her from the doorway for a few moments.

"I want to know why you were so bothered by Angela staying at my place."

Startled, she jerked her head around to look at him, trying to mask her face as innocent to his accusation. "Who said I was bothered Booth?"

"Hodgins," he answered with a slight smirk. He swore he heard her mumble "rat bastard" under her breath.

"It wasn't rational for her to choose to stay with you, that's all. But I don't have a problem with it. You guys can do whatever you want."

"Not rational? Do you really think turning your feelings into rationales is going to work with me Bones? It's not." He was using his no-nonsense cop tone, but it still managed to have the right amount of softness to not trigger her defensive tendencies.

She opened her mouth to reply, but closed it when she looked in his eyes. He needed the truth, and she needed to give it to him.

"I felt alone, again." Her voice was very quiet, like she was still unsure if she wanted him to hear what she had to say.

With a hurt expression on his face, he nodded his head slightly, asking her to elaborate.

"Both you and Angela are the pillars of my support system. With you two together, I had no one to go to in the middle of the night, or call. It's just different."

"Angela is at Hodgin's place."

"Oh. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm glad I have my house back. She's not as neat as I am and the bathroom always smelled flowery."

"So…you two weren't…?" she asked hesitantly.

He shook his head. "You could have just asked me Bones."

"I didn't want to make it a big deal I guess."

"Yeah, that worked out well."

"Are we good then?"

He wasn't ready to let her off the hook just yet. There were still some things that he needed to know. He walked towards her, stopping very close to her, purposely invading her personal space. "Are you going to tell me the real reason you were so bothered?"

Her heart rate began to increase at his closeness, and his boldness. His eyes were piercing her, demanding what she hadn't allowed herself to fully realize. This was one of those things she carefully compartmentalized.

"No." A small smile escaped at her characteristic stubbornness. It disappeared when she countered "Are you going to tell me the real reason you didn't sleep with Angela?"

"She's not my type." He could feel her hot breathe when she spoke. He felt a shudder go through his body.

"Tall, blonde and leggy? Preferably a lawyer?" She remembered clearly the types of woman he gravitated towards.

He snorted with amusement, before his voice got very low, his eyes dark. "She's not you," he finally admitted.

She certainly hadn't expected that. Her eyes went wide, her mouth fell open, all her senses were in overdrive. She started to panic. " Booth…"

He could see her panic, and it is what he expected, but he needed her to know anyways. "Don't worry about it Bones. Just put that little piece of info into one of your compartments until it's time." He moved his head forward, grazing her cheek with his lips, gently and tenderly. He looked her in the eyes again, conveyed to her that she was loved and that he was patient, and then he left her to contemplate his words.

She stared at the doorway he exited long after the man himself had gone. She could not handle the mix of emotions he had created within her. And then she smiled and did exactly what he had said, put his desire for her in a compartment until she could handle it.


End file.
